African Cotton Markets at Crossroads : Will the Price Spike Turn into a New Kick-Start?

Delpeuch, Claire

关键词: ADVERSE EFFECTS;    AGRICULTURAL SUBSIDIES;    AGRICULTURE;    BASE YEAR;    BIDDING;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-5847
RP-ID  :  WPS5847

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

After years of diplomatic efforts andlegal procedures to obtain the elimination of richcountries' cotton subsidies, policy prospects forAfrican cotton producers remain bleak. However, the worldprice for cotton has doubled in a year and has hit anall-time high. This paper examines these developments andinvestigates their potential consequences for Africansmallholder farmers. It emphasizes the importance of pricetransmission to domestic markets; assesses the impact of thereforms undertaken in Sub-Saharan African cotton sectors onproducers' supply responsiveness; and outlines whatremains to be done to ensure that farmers can benefit from afavorable global environment. The paper concludes thatimproving the functioning of domestic markets remains thepriority in the short run. The current high price seasonwill reveal the costs and benefits of different types ofsector regulation systems and the capacity of policy-makersand sector stakeholders to deliver on promises. It alsooffers a last-minute opportunity to rich countries to keeptheir word in the context of the Doha Development Round.